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A request for qualifications (RFQ) for phase 3 of Saudi Arabia's Yanbu Power and Desal Project has been issued by the Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC). The Project will involve the design, engineering, construction and commissioning of a greenfield oil-fired 1,700 MW power and 550,000 m3/d (145.3 MGD) seawater desalination plant in Yanbu, on Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coast.

Originally planned as an independent water and power project (IWPP), the Saudi Ministry of Water and Electricity changed it to an EPC project in mid-2009. SWCC is leading the procurement and will purchase a proportion of the desalted water, and a special purpose company jointly owned by Marafiq, Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) and the Saudi Public Investment Fund will act as the contracting body.

The plant will employ thermal desalination technology, and the selection of a MED or MSF process will be left to the discretion of the EPC contractor.